Carton



Sept. 12, 1950 p, w. MOPHERSON 2,521,989

' cm'rou I and Oct. 17, 1949 JaJJ ZSnventor 12 Dav/1Z0 14 M PHERw/V (Ittomeg Patented Sept. 12, 1950- UNITED STATES PATENT (lFFlCE CARTON Donald W. McPherson, Huntington Park, Calif. Application October 17, 1949, Serial No. 121,753

4 Claims. 1 l This invention relates to containers and packages generally and deals more particularly with a novel and improved carton.

An object of the present invention is to provide a carton that is of simple form and is readily set up and sealed around the contents thereof without the need of separately applied sealing means such as a gummed tape. etc.

Another object of the invention is to provide a self-scalable carton that is provided, initially, in the form of a flat element that may be stored in space-saving stacks, two of said elements being adapted to be assembled and formed into a shipping carton.

Another object of the invention is to provide a scored sheet adapted to be folded on the score lines thereof and having adhesive-coated portions on both sides and relatively arranged so that said sheets may be stacked without the adhesive of one sheet in contact with the adhesive of an ad- Jacent sheet, the adhesive portions being substantially dry and yet, without the addition of moisture, being adapted to firmly adhere when superposed, said sheet being so formed that two of them are adapted to be arranged and folded to form a container in which the adhesive interconnects the various portions.

The invention also has for its objects to provide such means that are positive in operation, convenient in use, easily installed in a working position and easily disconnected therefrom, economical of manufacture, relatively simple, and of general superiority and serviceability.

The invention also comprises novel details of construction and novel combinations and arrangements of parts, which will more fully appear in the course of the following description. However, the drawings merely show and the following description merely describes one embodiment of the present invention, which is given by way of illustration or example only.

In the drawings, like reference characters designate similar parts in the several views.

Fig. 1 is an inner face view of a sheet. according 7 to the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an outer face view of two such sheets initially connected and preparatory to folding the same to form a container.

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the container or carton as formed and before the ends thereof are folded closed.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view showing one closed end of the carton, the other end being similar.

Each container or carton 5 comprises two identical blanks or sheets i, said sheets being of the usual type employed for carton construction, as paste board. corrugated board, etc. Each-sheet is formed to have adjacent panels I and I defined by a score or fold line 9, an end tab ll adjacent panel I and defined by a score line H. lateral flaps I! on each side of panel I and defined by score line it transverse to score lines I and II, and lateral flaps It on each side of panel 8 and defined by score line ll.

According to the invention, on the inner side or face as in Fig. 1, that end of panel I which is opposite panel I, is provided with a coating ll of adhesive, the coating preferably extending across said panel and having a width corresponding to the width of tab it. Similar coatings II are provided on flaps II on the same side of the sheet.

On the outer side, as in Fig. 2, tab ill is provided with an adhesive coating I9 and flaps II are similarly coated as at i9.

Latex compositions, of which rubber cement is an example, comprise adhesive coatings It to I9, thev same, after application, being substantially dry. Such coated surfaces can be handled and yet, when two such coated surfaces, while dry. are superposed, they will adhere so strongly that clean separation of the surfaces, for all practical purposes, is not possible. Disruption of the coated material usually results from any attempt to separate two coated surfaces that have been adhered.

By comparing Figs. 1 and 2, it will be seen that the adhesive on one side of the sheet has no overlap with adhesive on the opposite side. Accordingly, such sheets are adapted to be stacked for space-saving storage without interengagement of the adhesive coated portions among the adjacent sheets of a stack.

A carton is expeditiously assembled by removing the two top sheets of a stack, placing the coating it on tab it of one sheet against the coating It on panel 8 of the other sheet and pressing them together to asssemble the sheets as in Fig. 2. Then by folding the connected sheets on the score lines 9 and I l of both sheets, the other coated tab it is brought into position so that its coating I9 is superposed with coating I. of the other panel 0. In this manner, the quadrangular open-ended tube shown in Fig. 3 is achieved, in which panels I and 8 constitute the sides. Then the flaps I! on one end of said tube, which have their coatings l9 facing outward, are folded inward toward each other, and flaps ll, on the same end. are folded inward to superpose coatings I! and It. By placing this folded end against any flat surface and reaching into the open end of the tube, flaps I: may be pressed against flaps I to cause their coatings to adhere, thus closing of! one end of the carton. Fig. 4 shows this condition. Now the carton can be filled through its open end. After the contents have been suitably disposed, the open end is closed as before indicated. Since flaps ii, at the latter end. are now supported, after folding inward, by the carton contents, firm adhesion of said flaps and flaps ilcan be readily effected.

Thus, without gummed tape, or the application of moisture, or other means or devices, two sheets can be removed from a stack and quickly assembled to form a strong, rigid and durable container. of which the shipping carton described is an example.

While the invention that has been illustrated and described is now regarded as the preferred embodiment, the construction is, of course, subl. A container comprising two identical'sheets divided by score lines to have two panels arranged end to'end, a flap on each side of each panel, and

a tab at the end of one of the panels, an adhesive coating on one side of each sheet and covering the tab and two adjacent fiaps, and an adhesive coating on the opposite side covering the other two flaps and an area of the panel therebetween that conforms to the area of the flap, the adhesive on the tab of one sheet being adapted to engage and adhere to the adhesive on said area of the other sheet to initially arrange the two joined sheets in extended relation, said joined sheets being adapted to be folded on the score lines between the respective panels and tabs, and the adhesive on the tab of the other sheet bein adapted to engage and adhere to the adhesive coated area of the first sheet to form a quadrangular tube, the flaps on the ends of said tube being adapted to be folded inward on the remaining score lines to close said tube at both ends.

2. A container comprising two identical sheets divided by score lines to have two panels arranged end to end, a flap on each side of each panel, and a tab at the end of one of the panels, an adhesive coatin on one side of each sheet and covering the tab and two adjacent flaps, and an adhesive coating on the opposite side covering the other two flaps and an area of the panel therebetween that conforms to the area of the flap, the adhesive on one side of each sheet being in non-overlapping relation to the adhesive on the opposite side whereby said sheets are adapted to be stacked one on the othe in superposed arrangement with the adhesive thereon in non-contacting relation. the adhesive on the tab of one sheet being adapted to engage and adhere to the adhesive on said area of the other sheet to initially arrange the two joined sheets in extended relation, said joined sheets being adapted to be folded on the score lines between the respective panels and tabs, and the adhesive on the tab of the other sheet being adapted to engage and adhere to the adhesive coated area of the first sheet to form a quadrangular tube, the flaps on the ends of said tube being adapted to be folded inward on the remaining score lines to close said tube at both ends.

-being foldable along the score line between the panels and the score line between the tab and the adjacent panel,'the adhesive on the tab of each sheet being superposable on the adhesive on the mentioned area of each other sheet to form a quadrangular tube, the flaps on the ends of said tube being adapted to be folded inward on the remaining score lines to close said tube at both ends. r 4. A blank adapted to co-join with an identical blank to form a close-end container, said blank comprising a sheet divided by transverse score lines into anend panel, an intermediate panel,

and a tab arranged in aligned relation, flanking flaps one on each side of each panel, a dry adhesive coating on one side of the tab and the flaps adjacent thereto, and a dry adhesive coating on the opposite side of the other flaps and an end area of the panel therebetween. said dry adhesive coatings being adapted to adhere upon contact.

- DONALD W. McPI-IERSON.

No references cited. 

